Combination cash and ticket box



June 21, 1955 A. u. NELSON EAL 2,711,357

COMBINATION CASH AND TICKET BOX Filed July 25, 1950 Y 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 j7 IN VEN TORS Albrl' LLNelson and! v June 1955 A. u. NELSON ETAL2,711,357

COMBINATION CASH AND TICKET BOX Filed July 25, 1950 Fi I Fig 7.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 2/ m m m,

IN V EN 7' 0R3 BY Charles 5 Nelson I fllberi- IJ. Nelson and UnitedStates atent fifice v 2,211,357 Patented June jzl, 1955 COMBINATION CASHAND TICKET BOX parts may be separated when the lidis pivoted into theAlbert U. Nelson, Portland, and Charles E. Nelson, 7

Eugene, Oreg. V Application July 25, 1950,-Serial No. 175,744

8 Claims. (Cl. 312293) line 10"10 ,of Fig.

' side walls '2 arranged to define an open-mouthed box, A

cover for the coin chamber of a portable cash and ticket box, said coinchamber comprising plural pockets, whereby the cover may bemoved,.selectively, to a position un covering the chamber or to aposition covering'the chamber and preventing accidental loss or movementof the coins from one pocket to another.

The handling of money or sale oftickets at.school dances, plays, andcarnivals and at football, basketball, baseball, and track events is acomplex operation requii ing Speed accuracy, and dexterity. Topromotethe chiciency of these operations, we have invented a portable cash andticket box which combines all thoseafeatures most desirable in a ticketselling and money handling device. This box is a compact unit capable ofready transport from one location to another without mixing the money ortickets and requiring a minimum of skill to operate. It is provided witha movable tray having a cash and a currency carrier equipped with acover and a hold-down clip, respectively, so the money will not fall outin transit or blow away when tickets are sold in the open. This tray isspaced from the bottom of the box to define a closed ticket compartmentin which one or more rolls of tickets may be mounted on spaced verticalspindles. Large, vertical ticket-dispensing slots lead from 7 thiscompartment and cooperate with circular follower,

rings which are slidably carried by each spindle so tickets in a varietyof sizes will unroll from the spindles without breaking or becomingtangled. In addition, the hinge between the portable box and thecomplementary ticketcollecting lid therefor is made separable so thateach of these elements may be used alone. Thus, each feature:

of our invention cooperates with and is complementary to every otherfeature thereof to increase materially the.

speed and accuracy of portable moneyhandling and ticket-sellingoperations.

These and other objects and advantages of our invention will hereinafterbe set forth with respect to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figs. 1 and 2 are front and side views, respectively, showing theassembled cash and ticket unit closed and ready for transport to apointof use;

Fig. 3 is a top view showing the box and tary lid pivoted into the fullopen position;

Fig. 4 is a detail view, taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3,showing the two-part bent lip construction of the hinge joining the boxand lid whereby these complemenfull open position;

Fig. 5 is a sectioniview, taken substantially on the line 5-5 01 Fig. 3,showing the entire unit with two rolls of tickets. stored therein thepivoted position'of the'hinged' currency carrier;

1 Figs; 6 and 7 are related .topand bottom views,"respec- 1 tively,showing the open top box per se and, indicating the and indicating, indashed outiine,

manner in which the ticket follower: rings are gravity biased toprevent-the ticket rolls fromjbreaking or be-.

coming tangled;

Fig.8 is a section view ofthe removable tray showing 3 one species ofthe lid which covers the coin chamber to retain coins thereinduringtransport; V Fig; 9 is a section view similar to Fig. 8 showing asecond species of the lid covering the coin chamber; and. I

Fig. 10'is a detailed view, taken substantially on the 9, showing theflanges pendent from the'currency carrier for'slidably carrying thespecies of lid shown in Fig. 9. r v A Referring to the drawings byreference characters, our portable cash and ticket unit includes abottom 1 and four complementary lid3 is removably pivoted on one of theside walls by means of one or more two-part hinges. Each ofthese hingesincludes an arc-like'bent lip 4 carried by the lid and arrangedremovably to encompassa poropen top box. Such tion of .a horizontal rod5 which is secured to the box (see Fig. 4). 'Thus,

when the lid 3 is pivoted to the'full open position and lying in theplaneof thebottom portion. 7

shown in Fig. 3, each of the lips 4 may be lifted fromits companion rodandthe lid thereby separated from the to separate use.

Referring now to Fig.5, we have therein shown a walled tray 6 removablyseated the'open' top .box on I the four corner angles Thistraytisseparated into an open top'storage'space 8 and 'a pluralityof open, topcoin chambers or pockets 9 by means of a main vertical partition 10 andthe sub-partitionsTlOa.

portion of each of "the coin chambers 9. The ledge 11 thereby forms agrip by means of which the entire walled tray.6 may be lifted from theopen top box. f

Overlying the storage space 8 so as to form a hinged lid therefor, weprovide a currency carrier 12 having a plurality of stalls 13 foraccommodating various denom- 'v then behad to the storage space 8wherein additional tickets, cash, checks, and ticket punches may bestored.

One important feature, wherein the unit-of our present. 7 invention isan improvement over the cash and ticket boxof our aforementioned patent,resides inthe construction of the removable tray 6 as shown in Figs. 8and 9. This improvement stems from the fact that our invention has foundwide use in the institutional field; Thus,-many schools andcolleges havefound our portable cash and ticket box to be most versatile and to becapable of use either with or without the ticket-selling advantages;

For example, the removable tray 6 may be used as a portable cash box inthe school cafeteria. When soused,

the ticket-selling andcollecting features are not required; Somemeansmust be provided, however,; to prevent. the spilling or'intermixingi of the coins carried in the coin separation allows the'lid toibe put v c I .The partition 10 is best formed fromaZ-shapedmemberto provide a lateral ledge 11 which projects from the partition andoverlies a 6 pockets or chambers 9 while the tray per se is beingtransported. The means we have invented to prevent such spilling orintermixing will now be explained and contrasted with the similar meanswhich functions when the entire cash and ticket unit is transported.

Figs. 3 and best illustrate the manner in which a stub compartment 18having a stub slot 19 and a hinged removal door 29 is formed across thefront side of the lid 3. This stub compartment 18 possesses a dualutility. When the lid 3 is separated from the open top box andtransported to the entrance gate of an athletic event, the stubcompartment 18 is used by the gateman to collect ticket stubs. Thesestubs are fed through the slot 19 and retained in the compartment forcounting at the end of. a ticket taking period. On the other hand, whenthe lid 3 is in the full closed position as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, thestub compartment 18 closely overlies the coin chambers 9 and the frontedges of the currency stalls 13. As with our previous invention, thisconstruction allows the assembled unit to be carried by the handles 21without danger of spilling or intermixing the segregated currency,coins'and tickets.

Returning to the use of the walied tray 6 per se, it will be seen thatthe hold-down clips 14 will effectively prevent the loss of currency yetthe construction of Fig. 5 provides no means to prevent the loss ofcoins from the coin chambers 9. Accordingly, we have invented the twospecies of coin chamber covers shown in Figs. 8 and 9. In Fig. 8, thecover 22 is pivoted by means of a hinge 23 to the lateral ledge 11. Thecover itself is laterally hinged intermediate the edges thereof at 24 toallow the same to be folded into the storage space 8 when not in use.The folded position is shown in dashed outline in Fig. 8. In Fig. 9, thecover 25 is arranged to slide across the top of the ledge 11 to allowaccess to the coin chambers 9. This sliding motion is accommodated byflanges 26 which are pendent from the bottom of the currency carrier 12(see Fig. 10).. Each species of the cover carries. a clip 27 on theleading edge thereof complementary to a flexible detent or hole 23.Thus, the cover may be secured inplace covering the coin chambers 9while the tray is transported to or from a point of use.

A further important feature of our invention resides in the manner bywhich the walled tray 6 is removably seated in the open top box andspaced from the bottom member 1 thereof to define a closed ticketcompartment 29 (see Fig. 5 Within this compartment, one or more verticalspindles 3d are secured to the bottom member 1 and extend upward throughthe compartment to a point adjacent the bottom of the tray 6. As bestshown in Fig. 6-, the spindles 30 receive ticket rolls 31 and have,slidably mounted thereon, gravity biased ticket follower rings 32. Theends of the ticket rolls 31 are threaded through the slots 33 formed inthe front wall of the box and disposed in the plane defined by theticket compartmerit 29. In order to accommodate tickets of varioussizes, the slots 33 are made slightly larger than the largest ticket andextend the full height of the compartment 29. We have discovered,however, that tickets of lesser width sometimes accidentally spiral upover the top of the vertical spindles 30 and become tangled or tear.This can be very disconcerting to a ticket seller when a long line ofcustomers must be kept waiting. Accordingly, we have invented a circularfollower ring 32 which is slidably carried on each spindle 3i) and is.of suflicient weight to gravity bias the ticket rolls 31 into theiroriginal plane. These follower rings 32 ride on the top of the ticketrolls 31 and hold them down. They may be constructed from any well-knownmaterial such as cardboard, plastic, or metal. We prefer the cardboardconstruction since it reduces materially the cost of fabrication.

In operation, either the entire cash and ticket unit or the walled trayper se maybe used. If the former, a ticketselling operation is involvedand two stations are generally required. These stations include a pointof sale Where the open top box is located and a gate or door where thelid is located. At the point of sale or prior to the arrival there,rolls of tickets 31 are placed over the spindles 30 and covered by thefollower rings 32, currency is arranged in the stalls 13 and held downby the clips 14, and coins in various denominations are arranged in thechambers9. Initially, the entire unit is transported to the sellersbooth or cage while the lid 3' is locked in place over the. open topbox. The liditself is later removed from the open top box by pivotingthe same to the fully open position and lifting thebent lip 4 verticallyupward and away from the horizontal rod 5. The doorman or gatekeeperthen takes the lid' to the door or gate and collects the tickets ascustomers are admitted. He deposits the ticket stubs in the compartment18 so they may later be counted to determine the total attendance. Theticket seller need not Worry for fear the rolls of tickets 31 willbecome tangled or spiral upwardly since the follower rings 32 hold theroll accurately in place. Furthermore, when access is to be had to theticket rolls, the walled tray 6 may be removed by grasping the lateralledge 11 and lifting. Access may be had to the storage space 8 byprying, with the fingernails, under the leading. edge 17 of the currencycarrier 12. The carrier 12 will then pivot about the hinge 16 yet theclips 14 will hold the currency down so it cannot spill out.

When desired, the walled tray 6 may be removed from the open top box andused by itself. If this is done, one of the constructions of Figs. 8 or9 is preferable since each of these species provides a cover whichfunctions to retain the coins in the chambers 9. Thus, the moneyhandling unit is prepared for use initially by arranging various coinsin the chamber 9 and various denominations of currency in the stalls 13.Thereafter, either the cover 22 ispivoted into place or the cover 25 isslipped into place. Either cover may then be secured by means of theclip 27 and flexible detent or hole 28. At the point of use, the cover22 may be folded back upon itself, out of the way, within the storagespace 8 or the cover 25 may be slipped back on the pendent flanges 26 toaccomplish the same result. Since the walled tray 6 is removable fromthe open top box, an entire ticket-selling. operation may be speeded upby having .one person makechange from the tray while another persondispenses tickets from the remainder of the box. When the elements arethus separated, one from another, the ticket follower rings 32 possessan added utility in that they hold. the ticket rolls 31 down, preventtheir observation by the buying public, and protect the tickets from theelements.

In accord with the objects of our invention, we have provided severalcooperative improvements in a portable cash and ticket unit. Theseimprovements include a novel, dual function, partition separating themoney and storage tray into separate chambers and providing av grip bywhich the tray may be lifted from the open top ticket box. They alsoinclude a novel cover for the coin cham her, a follower ring for theticket rolls, and a two-part hinge to allow separate use of the box andlid'. Each of these improvements cooperates with and is complementary tothe other improvements to produce a compact unit capable of increasingmaterially the speed and. accuracy of portable money handling andticket-selling operations.

7 We claim:

1. A portable cash and ticket unit including an elongated open-mouthedbottom member defining a container, a walled tray removably seated inthe container and spaced from said bottom member a distance sufficientto define therein a closed ticket compartment, a vertical longitudinalpartition separating said tray into a coin chamber and a storage space,a currency carrier pivoted on one wall of said tray in position tooverlie and seal said storage space, and acover joined to said tray,being.

movable selectively to one position closely overlying said coin chamberin sealing arrangement therewith or to a retracted position underlyingsaid currency carrier.

2. A portable cash and ticket unit including an elongated open-mouthedbottom member defining a container, a walled tray removably seated inthe container and spaced from said bottom member a distance sufiicientto define therein a closed ticket compartment, a vertical longitudinalpartition separating said tray into a coin chamber and a storage space,a lateral ledge projecting from said partition and overlying a portionof said coin chamber to form a lip by means of which said tray may belifted from said container, a currency carrier pivoted on one wall ofsaid tray in position to overlie and seal said storage space, and acover joined to said tray, being movable selectively to one positionclosely overlying said coin chamber in sealing arrangement therewith orto a retracted position underlying said currency carrier.

3. A portable cash and ticket unit including an elongated open-mouthedbottom member defining a container, a walled tray removably seated inthe container and spaced from said bottom member a distance sufiicientto define therein aclosed ticket compartment, a

vertical longitudinal partition separating said tray into and spacedfrom ,said bottom member a distance sufficient to define therein aclosed ticket compartment, a vertical longitudinal partition separatingsa'idtray into a coin chamber and a storage space, a currency carrierpivoted on one wall of said tray in position to overlie saidv storagespace, and a cover movable selectively to, one A position closelyoverlying said coin chamber in sealing V arrangement therewith or to aretracted position underlying said currency carrier, spaced lateralguides carried upon the underside of said currency carrier, said coverbeing slidably retractable in said guides, the' leading edge of saidcover carrying a clip, a detent on the tray wall,

complementary to said clip for releasably securing the cover in saidsealing arrangement. a v l e 7. A portable cash and ticket unitincludingan elon-. gated open-mouthed bottom member defining a container, 'aWalled tray removably seated in the container and spaced fromsaidbottorn member a distance 'sutfi cient to define therein a closedticket compartment, a vertical longitudinal partition separating said"tray into an open top coin chamberandan open top storage space, alateral ledge projecting from saidpartition and overlying a portion ofsaid coin chamber to form a lip by means of which said tray'may belifted from said con- 4. A portable cash and ticket unit including anelon- I gated open-mouthed bottom member defining a container, a walledtray removably seated in the container and spaced from said bottommember a distance sufiicient to define therein a closed ticketcompartment, a

vertical longitudinal partition separating said tray into' a coinchamber and a storage space, a currency carrier pivoted on one wall ofsaid tray in position to overlie said storage space, and a cover movableselectively to one position closely overlying said coin chamber insealing arrangement therewith or to a retracted position underlying saidcurrency carrier, spaced lateral guides carried upon the underside ofsaid currencycarrier, said cover being slidably retractable in saidguides.

5. A portable cash and ticket unit including an -elongated open-mouthedbottom member defining a container, a walled tray removably seated inthe container and spaced from saidbottom member a distance surficient todefine therein a closed ticket compartment, a.

vertical longitudinal partition separating said'tray into a coin chamberand a storage space, a currency carrier pivoted on one wall of said trayin position to overlie said storage space, and a cover movableselectively to one position closely overlying said coin chamber insealing arrangement therewith or to a retracted position underlying saidcurrency carrier, said cover being pivotally mounted adjacent said ledgefor folding into said' retracted position, the leading edge of saidcover carrying a clip, a detent on the tray wall, complementary to saidclip for releasably securing the cover in said sealing arrangement.

6. A portable cash and ticket unit including an elongated open-mouthedbottom member defining a container, a walled tray removably seatedin'the container T 464,409 Williams. I Dec. 1, 1891 670,562 HornbostelMar. 26, 1901 785,279 Steiner Mar. 21, 1905 821,350 Ferris May 22, 1906886,213 Holder Apr. 28, 1908 1,339,823 Harbaugh May 11, 1920 1,605,145Richards Nov. 2, 1926 1,754,911 Sherwood et al. Apr. 15, 1930 1,829,766Spector et a1. Nov. 3, 1931 2,253,919 Tensfeldt et a1; Aug.; 26, 19412,416,509 Beaulieu Feb. 25, 1947 2,508,283 Nelson May 16, 1950 2,508,981Williams May 23, 1950 2,542,724 Stettner Feb. 10, 1951' FOREIGN PATENTS285,769

tainer, a currency carrierpivo'ted on one wall of said tray in positionto overlie said storage space, and a'cover movable selectively to oneposition closely overlying said coin chamber in sealing arrangementtherewith or to a retracted position underlyingsaid currency carrier,said cover being pivotally mounted adjacent said ledgefor folding intosaid retracted position.

8. A portable cash. and ticket unit including an elongated open-mouthedbottom member defining a container, a walled tray removably seated inthe container 7 and spaced from said bottom member a distancesufiicientto define therein a closed ticket compartment, a vertical longitudinalpartition separating said tray into. an open top coin chamberiand anopen top storage space, a

lateral ledge projecting from said partition and overlying a portion ofsaid coin chamber to form a'lip by means ofwhich said tray may be liftedfrom said container, a

currency carrier pivoted on one wallof said tray in position to overliesaid storage space, and a cover movable selectively} to one positionclosely overlying said coin chamber in sealing arrangement therewith orto a retracted position underlying said currency carrier, spaced lateralguides carried upon the underside of said currency carrier, said coverbeing slidably retractable in said guides. References Cited in the fileof'this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Feb. 23, 1928

